Stewing in Our Own Juices

Time to catch all of you up on the last few days.  We made it to the east coast and to Washington, D.C!  It turned into a whirlwind visit in our nation's capital because we got in a bit late to our hotel and we ended up sleeping in the next day.  Our visit wouldn't have been nearly as fun without our guide and high school friend, Geoff!

Out of all the impressive things we saw and experienced in D.C., I must say that the thing that impressed me most was Cassie conquering her fear of driving in the busy city.  Washington D.C. is not the easiest town to drive in and Cassie had remembered this from a previous visit.  She was determined to not drive, but when it looked like public transit would further delay our late-started day she bit the bullet and drove!  I was so proud!

One thing no one really explains enough about our nation's capital is the humidity.  As a true Californian, I had heard stories of it.  I thought I understood it.  I was wrong.  There is absolutely no way to look pretty and cute when your body is busy creating a second shower of sweat every five seconds.  Ugh.  Cassie was too in love with the beautiful and historic city to be bothered by such things.  I had to work a bit harder to be impressed.  A self-proclaimed heat-hater, it was difficult for me to get over the sweltering heat.  Eventually, the energy and history of the city became a nice distraction and we were able to see a good amount of D.C. in the short five hours we spent there.  We by no means came close to seeing everything but it was a nice sampling of what D.C. had to offer.  Once we had our fill (and my legs wore out) we headed to Philadelphia to see our other good friend Luke.  Here are some choice photos from D.C; enjoy!

On The Road...Again

Today was another long haul.  We passed through Indianapolis, IN and Columbus, OH as we continued towards Washington, D.C.  While passing through Indianapolis we took the opportunity to search out the famous raceway home to the Indy 500.  Although we were not very impressed with the surrounding town, the raceway was gigantic.

Public Service Announcement #2: Dear McDonald's Executives, your establishment near the Indianapolis Speedway needs some attention.  Love, us.

Cassie and I were excited to enter into Ohio and into our final time zone.  This great state is home to Cassie's mom and dad (Hi!) and other family.  Although we are not stopping by today to chat with the family, we will see Don and Dana in Niagara in just a few days.

Our first big destination since the Grand Canyon will be Washington, D.C.  We are going to be pulling into our nation's capital late tonight and spending all day tomorrow touring our rich history.  What's the best way to see a famous city in a small amount of time?  Get a guide of course!  Fortunately for us, one of our best friends from high school is living the American political dream in D.C. and will be escorting us through the National Mall.  Who's the best?  Geoff, that's who!  So, readers, expect many more photos in the next day or so as Cassie and I take over D.C!

Things we have learned so far:
1. Nicci does not like to drive in bad weather.  Cassie was overjoyed to do so because it meant a free car wash.
2.  Cassie does not like to drive in unfamiliar cities at night.  Nicci thought the old buildings and graffiti in St. Louis were rather charming and had a great time.

Post Script:  We have had some issue with establishing an internet connection with my laptop at our various stops.  There might be a delay between posts and replies.  Hang in there, we'll update you one way or another.  Until then, enjoy some photo highlights from today!

Somehow, Nothing Satisfies Like Beef!

By Cassie

Apparently, Missourians love their beef.  We loved driving through their lightning storms.  Other things we love include random strangers giving us directions to gas when the advertised gas station off the freeway is abandoned.  Things we do not love include sleeveless hillbillies ogling our goodies.

But at the top of the list of things we love today is the venerable institution we lovingly call Cracker Barrel.

Cracker Barrel is like eating with Paula Dean without her nasally southern accent.  Not only is this devilishly delicious southern food completely authentic, it is also extremely reasonably priced which is a road-tripper's best friend.  To put the icing on the Cracker Barrel cake, the restaurant is connected to Nicci's dream store filled with hand-made quilts, Grandma's china, and over-sized hand-made rocking chairs.  I was not sure if I could convince Nicci to leave with me.

After heading out with bellies full, we watched as clouds rolled in over northbound I-44.  The wind was warm and whipping across the land.  As lightning filled the sky, we knew we were in for a show.  It poured for a good 30 minutes, just enough to clean the car...and make driving just a tad bit scary for Nicci.

Now with clear skies ahead, we are entering St. Louis ready for that dang arch.  We are very excited for what's to come, hope you are too!

In The Zone...Time Zone That Is

For those of you who may have not answered the call of a road tripper and don’t often spend hours in a car to simply get further on a journey, let me tell you of the one saving grace of long distance driving:

Car dancing.

Yes, Cassie and I blasted some sweet tunes and then danced the hours away.  Now, some of you might be struggling to understand how dancing can take place while seated in a car.  Use your imagination, friends.  Comical, aerobic, and time consuming, car dancing is a great long distance driving activity.  We highly recommend it. 

In other news, may I recommend to everyone that they become very familiar with time zones?  As meticulously planned as we were, somehow this critical piece of knowledge escaped us.  We crossed two time zones today, which we don’t recommend.  At present it is 12:25am Central Time on June 16th.  For our California family and friends it is actually only 10:25pm Pacific Time on June 15^th.  Fortunately, our bodies are still on California time, which means we aren’t tired…yet.  As I type this portion of tonight’s blog Cassie is driving and singing.  We are not slated to drive into our hotel parking lot until 11:30pm PST.  That’s 1:30am CST in case you haven’t been keeping up.

Update on the car accident from earlier today:

As traffic slowly started to flow, Cassie and I were able to glance at what had kept us parked for over a half hour on the interstate.  Two motorcycles had been involved in some kind of accident that left both bikes completely mutilated.  It would be a miracle if either driver survived the horrific scene that we observed.  Please keep these anonymous drivers and their families in prayer.  On our way out of New Mexico there was a second accident that delayed us another 15 minutes, but fortunately it did not look as serious.  As we continue on our journey, please keep us in prayer for traveling mercies.

Something I am thankful for here at this late hour: God’s creation.  Although it is pitch black all around, the sky is lit up periodically with lightning from a passing lightning storm.  No rain, just a fantastic light show.  Not only is it keeping us awake and energized, it is breath taking.  Beautiful.

So ends a day that promised to be boring.  Cassie, the amazing, drove all day.  Soak that in for minute.  Just over 12 hours and she tackled it solo.  We established a great car dance routine of which there are pictures that shall not be posted to protect the innocent.  We learned that time zones can steal two hours away from you in just minutes.  Yet even greater than these triumphs, we made it through.  Take a peak at some photos from today’s leg of the journey.  Stay tuned tomorrow for St. Louis and Indianapolis!

Parked On The I-40 East

12:30pm New Mexico Time

We ran into a bit of a problem. A big accident ahead of us on the interstate brought all vehicles big and small to a standstill. The traffic behind us was at least a mile long if not more. The accident was only a 1/2 mile in front of us. Despite being concerned about the accident and those involved, it was quite boring to sit parked on an interstate.

Cassie's thoughts as we sat parked: The mountains are truly beautiful and cameras cannot possibly capture what we have seen. Side note: the settlers who passed this way so many years ago had to be pretty tough to endure some of these conditions. So glad they persevered and so glad to not be one of them!

My thoughts as we sat parked: Dang it! Now we'll be late! When's lunch?

Truly Cassie had the better perspective.

Blessings

Day 1 Finished!

We arrived safely in Arizona and enjoyed a beautiful tour of the Grand Canyon at sunset.  Neither Cassie nor I had ever been to this natural wonder and it was more than we had imagined.  Considering the multitude of things that could have gone wrong, we were blessed to have everything go right.  We made great time and arrived just in time to make our tour reservation.  We found our hotel without a map or address.  Turns out there is more than one Days Inn in Flagstaff!  Although we are still in the early phases of our trip, we count our blessings of safe travel, natural sense of direction and fellowship. 

Keep us in prayer as we continue to trek across America.  A lack of cell phone and internet service could put a damper in our plans to keep our family and friends updated, so please be patient.  We love and miss you all.  If you see that we are headed your direction, please leave us a comment on our  blog or my Facebook so that we can meet up!

Tomorrow morning we are facing a boring driving day to OKC.  We will do our best to create some adventure to share with you all at the end of tomorrow.  Until then, enjoy some of our silliness below!

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:  To all truckers...stay in your own lane!!

Notable Quotable:

• "It looks like a kangaroo, but I don't think they reside here" -Cassie

As Thoreau Once Said...

Welcome to our blog!  While Cassie is not a big technology fan, I most certainly am and I wanted to document our next great adventure.  This blog will document our road trip across America over the next 12-17 days.  Our goal is to upload photos and stories from our journey at the end of each day.  Wherever there is free wi-fi...we will be there!

This trip has been a dream of mine for many years.  Cassie, being the great gal that she is, decided to support and join me in this dream.  Originally, our grand plan was to complete this trip the summer we graduated high school.  Slight problems such as no money, bills, part-time jobs, and college got in the way.  So now, eight years and two full-time careers later, the adventure can take place. 

Many people are skeptical about this trip given the poor economy and horrid gas prices.  There is also the disastrous weather with which to contend.  Despite the reality of such obstacles, Cassie and I know that there will never be another time better to take such a radical journey.  In an age where everything is about the destination and getting there faster, Cassie and I are desperate for the memories and stories that can be made during the journey itself.  Sure we are stopping along the way to enjoy some of America's great destinations, but we are not staying long! 

Our trip is schedule for 12 days but we have up to 17 in case of unforseen emergencies.  Our itinerary is (roughly) as follows:

1. The Grand Canyon, AZ
2. Oklahoma City, OK
3. St. Louis, MO*
4. Indianapolis, IN*
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Philadelphia, PA
7. New York City, NY
8. Niagara Falls, NY
9. Chicago, IL
10. Mount Rushmore Memorial, SD
11. Yellowstone National Park, WY
12. Salt Lake City, UT
13. HOME!

*These two cities were recent changes.  Our original plan was to drive through Tennessee (Memphis and Nashville), but recent flooding made that impossible.  Goodbye Graceland!  My apologies to Nashville!

As you can see, we have undertaken quite a lot on this trip.  Too many people put off their dreams both big and small because of a multitude of reasons.  We have been blessed to have the time to make our dream a reality.  Won't you join us?

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." - Henry David Thoreau